On May 14, 2013, the
Greater Little Company of Mary gathered in the Hospital’s Chapel to commemorate
the life and decreed of their founder, Venerable Mary Potter, and the birth of
more than 200,000 babies born in the original patient tower.
The celebration mass was presided
by Rev. Benedykt Pazon from St. Bernadette Church located on 9343 S Francisco
Avenue in Evergreen Park, IL. Rev. Pazon began the mass with the centenary
anniversary celebration of the death of the founder of the Little Company of
Mary Sisters, Venerable Mary Potter.
Mary Potter was born in London in
1847. Mary’s compassion for the sick and dying and her vision would change the
lives of tens of thousands of people around the world. Her life was marked by
frequent illnesses, providing her first hand insight into the loneliness and
abandonment world that many of the sick and dying feel.
She overcame countless obstacles as she
responded to the Holy Spirit and founded a religious congregation devoted to
praying for the sick and dying which became known in 1877 as the Little Company
of Mary Sisters.
Since Mary’s passing in Rome in
1913, her legacy and wholehearted commitment to God were recognized by Pope
John Paul II, when Mary Potter was proclaimed “Venerable” on February 8, 1988.
This proclamation demonstrated the Church's validation of Mary Potter's saintly
life and acceptance of her extensive spiritual writings.
The spiritual heritage of Mary
Potter is carried on throughout the world. Today, the Sisters of the Little
Company of Mary continue to provide compassionate care for the sick and dying
in 11 countries. Their healing touch can be felt in England, Scotland, Ireland,
Northern Ireland, Albania, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea,
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Italy, Tonga, and the United States.
Mary Potter’s vision in America
became a reality on January 9, 1930 in Evergreen Park, IL, when the Sisters of
Little Company of Mary opened a four-story, 150 bed hospital and began caring
for the community. Over the next 83 years, the Sisters continued their mission
in Evergreen Park caring for the sick and dying by combining state-of-the-art
technology, physicians, nurses, staff, and spirituality.
Since opening in 1930 more than
200,000 babies have entered the world- earning the nickname, “The Baby
Hospital.” In October 2012, Little
Company of Mary made history by opening a state-of-the-art West Pavilion tower
to replace the original patient tower built in 1930. The West Pavilion is a
300,000-square-foot, eight-story, 118-private rooms and baths. The West
Pavilion is the new home to the Family Birth Center.
“The Sisters of Little Company of
Mary built the original tower in 1930 during the great depression-truly a walk
of faith, said Mary Jo Quick, R.N., B.S., M.H.A., Vice President, Mission &
Spirituality. “Today, Mary’s legacy and vision lives on through the us-the
Greater Little Company of Mary.”
For more information on Little
Company of Mary’s campus transformation project, please visit our website at
LCMH.org. To view the short documentary on the life of Venerable Mary Potter,
visit Little Company of Mary’s youtube channel at
www.youtube.com/littlecompanyofmary
